Who was ex-DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral?

A seasoned bureaucrat once described as a "model" for "Women in Infrastructure," former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral found herself embroiled in the flood control project anomalies.

After appearing in a congressional inquiry on September 9, Cabral was a no-show at the hearing of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on December 15.

On December 19 at 12:03 a.m., the 63-year-old Cabral was declared dead after an alleged fall by the Bued River in Benguet.

Who is Maria Catalina Cabral, and how did she get caught in the widening maelstrom of corruption involving flood control funds?

Cabral has built a long career in public works and engineering until finally becoming DPWH Undersecretary for Planning and Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

According to her profile posted on the website of the National Irrigation Administration, where she served as an alternate member on the Board of Directors,  Cabral made history as the first female rank-and-file employee to reach the level of Undersecretary at the DPWH, the government’s engineering and construction arm.

She entered the DPWH as a Civil Engineering Aide while completing her degree. After she passed the Licensure Examination, she started to rise in the ranks and was given important tasks in the department.

Cabral is a licensed civil engineer with two doctoral degrees in Business Management and Public Administration and is a Ph.D. candidate in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of the Philippines.

She holds three master’s degrees and certificates from Wharton, Harvard Kennedy School, and Mohamed Bin Zayed University in areas like data analytics, digital transformation, and AI.

Cabral also made history when she became the first female president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers and later served as national president of the Road Engineering Association of the Philippines.

She has earned numerous awards, including the 2021 PEZA Galing Pinas Ecozone Partnership Award, the 2020 Excellence Award from the Philippine Federations of Professional Associations, and the 2021 PRC Outstanding Professional of the Year in Civil Engineering.

Additionally, Cabral has been recognized by various award bodies for her achievements, including the 2023 Brand Asia Award as Top Leader of Excellence in Humanitarian and Public Service, the 2023 Philippine Resilience Awards for Women, and the 2024 Circle of Excellence Awardee ASIA-CEO Woman of the Year.

She has also been nominated for several international awards, including the World Federation of Engineering Organization’s GREE Women in Engineering Award in 2019, the United Nations Public Service Awards for SDG 5 – Gender and Equality in 2022, the Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council (ACECC) Achievement Award in 2022.

Cabral is also a commissioned officer in the Reserve Force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Philippine Army.

Budget 'insertions'

On September 7, Senator Panfilo Lacson, chairperson of the Blue Ribbon Committee, dropped a bombshell when he revealed that a staff member of then Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto III allegedly received a call from Cabral, asking for an insertion.

“The Usec that I mentioned to have offered our senate president to make 'insertions' in the 2026 NEP vehemently denied it to her new boss, DPWH Sec Vince Dizon, and to his face at that, was actually lying through her teeth. Dapat alam niya na hindi ako basta nagsasalita nang walang katibayan,” Lacson said during his priviledge speech.

At a House hearing on September 9, Cabral also confirmed the P51 billion infrastructure projects for the 1st district of Davao City during the last three years of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s term.

Hounded by controversy, Cabral resigned from the DPWH on September 16, which was accepted by Secretary Vince Dizon.

The resignation, however, will not insulate Cabral from accountability if she is found involved in the flood control anomalies, said Senator Rodante Marcoleta, former chairman of the Blue Ribbon panel.

As it continues with its probe, the Malacanang-backed ICI on November 4 urged the Ombudsman to probe Cabral, together with former secretary Manuel Bonoan and undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, for possible breach of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for public officials over a P69.4 million ghost project in Plaridel, Bulacan. 

"The Commission has recommended that the Ombudsman assess whether there is potential violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for public officials and employees may also exist on the part of DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, former Undersecretaries Roberto Bernardo and Maria Catalina Cabral, among others," said ICI chairperson Andres Reyes, Jr.

“In so far as former Undersecretaries Bernardo and Cabral are concerned, their duties and responsibilities pertaining to Operations and Planning, respectively, made them intimately in the know of the activities of senior DPWH officials and responsible for the overall economical, efficient and effective administration of public funds entrusted to DPWH,” added the ICI report submitted to the Ombudsman.

On December 11, the ICI said it would invite Cabral as a resource person in its investigation into anomalous flood control projects.

Former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo claimed that Cabral would ask him to submit a list of projects related to lump sum fund allocations of DPWH.

The ICI held its last hearing for the year on December 15. However, the body said that while it invited Cabral to attend, it did not get any confirmation from the former official. —LDF, GMA Integrated News